Antifriction bearing and roller.



H. HESS.

ANTIFRICTION BEARING AND ROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24. I911.

1,182,01 1. Patented May 9, 1916.

fi- [Q 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY HESS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE HESS-BRIGHTMANUFACTURING COMPANY, I OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORA- TIONOF DELAWARE.

ANTIFRICTION BEARING AND ROLLER.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, i916.

Application filed March 24, 1911. Serial No. 616,737.

friction Bearings and Rollers, of which the following'is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to anti-friction bearings and rollers therefor, andmore particularly to certain novel features in a roller, and to abearing adapted to cooperate therewith.

The invention has for an object to provide an improved roller bearingand one which is capable of a greater length of use and greaterdurability than any heretofore known bearings; and more particularly anobject is to provide an efficient and reliable means for expanding aworn bearing roller so that the same may be restored to its originaldimensions and thus continued indefinitely in use.

The invention co nsists in the novel roller structure and bearingadapted to employ the same, of which an instance is shown in thedrawings hereof and which is set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a face view of a rollerbearing containing rollers and illustrating one em odiment or instanceof my invention. Fig. 2 is a central cross-section of the bearing shownin Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the hollow shell member ofthe roller. Fig. 4 is a side view of the expander. Fig. 5 is a side viewof a modified shell; and Fig. 6 shows a different embodiment in whichthe roller form is that of a double cone instead of a cylinder as in theother figures.

Similar letters of reference are employed to designate correspondingparts in the several figures.

My invention has no particular reference to any one type of rollerbearing but is applicable to all types such as thrust bearings, radialbearings with cylindrical rollers, and various forms of bearings withconical rollers. All such types of bearings have in common that thereare opposed bearing surfaces between which roll an appropriate number ofrollers. A radial bearing, is illustrated inEi 1 and 2, in which theopposed bearing suices comprise the outer track.

A, the inner track B, the outer annular retainers a, a, and the opposedinner annular retainers b, b, secured respectively to the rings and B,and means for attaching the respective rings to the shafts, wheels orother devices in connection with which thebearing is to be employed.Twelve rollers are shown which might be, but are not, indicated as beingseparated one from the other, and each roller constructed in accordancewith my invention is adapted to be expanded in its diameter and hasmeans for expandlng it. The following may bethe detail construction ofsuch a roller: A shell C forms the part which actually contacts thebearing surfaces of the rings A and B, and this shell according to myinvention is rendered hollow by having a longitudinal bore as seen at 0.Besides being bored from end to end longitudinally, the shell is alsoshtted entirely through its metal and completely from one end to theother. This slit is indicated at c wherefrom it appears to be curved,being in the form, for example, of a helix, thus avoiding the objectionswhich would result if the slit were upon a straight line constituting anelement of the cylindrical shell. Stated another way-the slit 0 is outor otherwise formed not in a plane passing through the rollers'axis, but

in such a way that the successive slit lengths are located in differentplanes or on different elements of the cylinder.-

The bore within the shell and the expander before referred to, cooperatewith each other in the expansion or adjustment of the roller, and Iprefer to effect this by constituting the bore of a tapered or coni-.cal form, as clearly indicated, whereby the longitudinal adjustment ofthe expander will serve to enlarge the bore and thereby enlarge theshell so as to increase the rollers diameter. I prefer also to constructthe expander of a conical form as seen at D, and in this way all partsof theinclosed expander contact and afford a :solid backing for theshell so that the latter in being expanded will enlarge uniformly, thusavoiding any distortion or any; departure from the true cylindricalform'of the roller.

It will be understood, especially from Fig.

be provided for by a threaded extension 11 at the small end of theexpander and a couple of locking nuts E, E or equivalent devices, and inconnection with such locking nuts may be employed a washer e'locatedbetween the nuts and giving them a more efficient bearing against theend of the roller shell.

Vi'hen a bearing becomes worn by reason of the wear either of therollers or of the rings or both, there will be a certain amount of playor lost motion, and that will be taken up according to my invention byadjustably expanding or enlarging all of the rollers by substantiallyequal amounts. Each roller with or without being removed from thebearing will first have its nut E tightened by a wrench or otherwise,during which operation care may be taken to treat all of the rollersalike by tighteningthe nuts and causing their expansion by smallincrements until the bearing is restored to proper condition. Thereuponthe locking nut E will be tightened upon the nut E, thus permanentlyfixing the parts in the desired position.

In the bearing shown the entire roller length is subject to wear, and itmay wear uniformly from end to end. But if it should wear irregularly orrequire machining. or if it were preferred to adjust each roller to astandard before resuming the use of the bearing, the rollerwouldpreferably be taken out, treated as desired, carefully expanded to theproper adjustment by the nut E, locked in that position by the nut E andreplaced in the bearing.

Roller bearings are provided with retaining means for preventing thedropping out of the rollers, and with my invention this may consist ofthe retainers a, b, at each end. Between the retainers a, b will be seento exist an annular space or opening which is allowed of sufficient sizefor accommodating the locking and adjusting nuts E, E, and incidentallythe projecting large end of the conical expander D, which initially willbe made of extra length so as to permit its being taken up duringexpansion without depriving the hollow slitted shell at that end of thefull benefit of its support and rigidity.

The curvedly slitted roller F shown in Fig. 5 is a modified form, theslit f in this case being out along a different curve. namely a helixhaving a pitch half of that of the slit (1' of Figs. 2 and 3.

The same principles as above set forth are applicable to bearingscontaining single or double conical rollers. an instance of the latterbeing shown in Fig. (1 wherein two separate expansible shells (i. G willpreferably be employed and a double ended expander H within them, eachof the shells having-as before some adjusting and locking means such asnuts J, J and washers j intermediate the latter and the shell ends.

It will be seen that by reason of the structure or roller and bearingabove shown and described, the objects and advantages are afl ordedwhich have been previously set forth, and other advantages will beapparcut to those skilled in the art. It is to be understood that theinvention in its broader aspects is not limited to the preciseconstruction shown nor to any particular construction by which theinvention has been or may be carried into effect, since man changes maybe made in the details of the parts without departing from the mainprinciples of the invention and without sacrificing its chiefadvantages; and no limitations are intended except such as are set forthin the respective claims.

. \Vhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

I. An antifriction bearing including in combination, a pair ofrelatively revoluble bearing tracks, a plurality of hollow metal rollersengaging said tracks, each roller having a curved slit extending fromend to end and through the hollow shell thereof, means for taking upwear between said tracks and rollers, comprising a plurality ofindependent adjusting devices, one for each of said rollers, andarranged to permit the independent enlargement of each roller byspreading the curved slit therein while preserving the substantialcontinuity of the rolling surface of each roller.

2. An antifriction bearing including in combination, a pair ofrelatively revoluble bearing tracks, a plurality of hollow metal rollersengaging said tracks, each roller having a curved slit extending fromend to end and through the hollow shell thereof, means for taking upwear between said tracks and rollers, comprising a plurality ofindependent adjusting devices, one for each of said rollers, andarranged to permit the independent enlargement of each roller byspreading the curved slit therein while preserving the substantialcontinuity of the rolling surface of each roller, each of said devicesconsisting of an interior shell-expander. and an exterior adjustertherefor located at the axial end of the roller, and said tracksconstructed with space to accommodate 'the several adjusters as therollers travel.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY HESS. Witnesses Timo. H. MCALLA, NETTIE L. HAHN.

copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0."

